Fallen Embers Read Free Page B

see now I was mistaken. I think it best to end this discussion—and our acquaintanceship—immediately.”
    She moved swiftly, reaching for the branch she’d so recently tossed back into the flames, but Quintano was swifter. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. “Tell me the truth.”
    Her fangs descended. She glared at him through eyes that had gone silver-grey. “I have told it to you.”
    â€œThen show me. Now. Prove to me it can be done.”
    â€œUnhand me,” she growled. “I take orders from no man save one, and you are not he . I will show you nothing.”
    â€œYou will!”
    â€œNever.”
    â€œYou will show me what I wish to see,” Quintano insisted. “You’ll prove your story true, or I shall kill you.”
    â€œKill me?” A wild, bitter laugh issued from her throat. “Ah, your true colors, at last. What of your word to me? What of your promise not to take from me unwillingly?”
    Quintano howled, unable to fashion a single word in response. He’d known it was a mistake to save her.
    Georgia nodded. “I see. Well, my lord, if that’s to be the way of it, so be it. You are certainly free to try and kill me. Others have. Why, you would not even be the first to attempt such a thing tonight . But have a care. Are you so certain you’ll succeed where so many others before you have failed? I am not without resources, and I will not make your task easy for you.”
    Quintano did not doubt it. Not for an instant. “Show me,” he repeated angrily.
    â€œNo.”
    He should kill her—and quickly, before she had the chance to utter even one more lie. But what if it wasn’t a lie? That was the doubt that stilled his hand—even more than the promise he’d given. What if there was even the smallest chance she was telling the truth, the tiniest hope that he need not live like this any longer? Shuddering with the effort, Quintano retracted his fangs and forced the beast that raged within him back into hiding. He gentled his hold on the woman—not so much that she might wrench herself free, but enough to make it clear that his intention was to do her no harm. He gazed at her imploringly. “Georgia, please. I beg you. If this is true, you must show me. I need to know.”

Chapter Two
    San Francisco, California
    Present Day
    The music was making Marc hungry. That was hardly surprising since it was exactly what it had been designed to do. Still, it worried him. He leaned against the bar and cast a concerned glance across Akeldama’s crowded dance floor, trying to gauge how the formerly feral vampires he’d brought here tonight were faring. Just because he could withstand the pulsing temptation didn’t mean they could do the same. Tonight’s outing was an experiment. He wasn’t yet confident enough in their training to allow them to come here on their own, and the music was a major contributor to his anxiety.
    The layering of amplified human heartbeats beneath an otherwise unremarkable dance mix was something he’d expressly forbidden at his own club, and with good reason. Ferals didn’t need the additional stimulation. What merely sharpened a normal vampire’s appetite was often enough to send one of his people off on a killing rampage. At least, that’s how it had been when he’d first found them. They’d made a lot of improvement since then. It might be time to revisit his earlier decision.
    â€œWell, look who’s finally poked his head out of the man-cave.”
    Marc turned to stare at his sister in surprise. “Julie? Hey. What are you doing here?” He was a little chagrined at not having sensed her presence aforetime. He thought he’d honed his tracking skills to an impressive level. Either the music was more of a distraction than he’d realized, or he’d been fooling himself. Then again, he hadn’t exactly